Coalition of Homeless Service Providers ask for community input on funding for homeless crisis

The Coalition of Homeless Service Providers held a meeting on Monday, asking people to take part in a survey to rank where they think newly allotted funding should be directed. 

"It's incredibly difficult because everybody deserves the support," Nykole Sakihara-Soper, deputy director of The Coalition of Homeless Services Providers, said.

The survey had neighbors ranking what they believed to be the most important area the coalition should focus on: rapid rehousing, operating subsidies, street outreach, permanent housing, interim housing solutions, prevention/shelter diversion or improvements to existing shelters.

The incoming funding for Monterey County is a one-time grant that sits at $2.7 million and cannot fully finance all of the areas of support.

"Something like a permanent housing project ,which are needed in our community, a new one could cost at the minimum $1,000,000," Sakihara-Soper said. "That's not even all of the funding that it would take to really get that project up and running"

She said that the money does go quickly, which is why the organization encourages the community to ask the state and federal government for sustainable funding.

In Monterey County's latest data pool, it showed a 19% increase in unhoused individuals since 2022. 

DJ Sullivan and Ric Watkins are both teenagers growing up in Salinas. For them, seeing unhoused individuals is expected for them.

"Every time I leave the house, most of the time, I’m seeing somebody who's like living on the streets or in poor conditions," Sullivan said.

Watkins said he feels like it has become normalized in the area.

"It's come to a point where I feel like that's just normal around here," Watkins said. "Every time we go shopping or or anywhere, we always see people asking for donations of some sort of food and water."

Some people in the meeting suggesting that all areas needed to receive support while others highlighted programs like outreach and harm reduction services. They said permanent housing projects would be too expensive. 

The coalition said they will continue to host meetings and receive input from the community as they decide where to allocate this money.